Progressive conus medullaris lesions are suggestive of intravascular large B-cell lymphoma.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Spinal cord lesions are observed in 40% of all central nervous system lesions in intravascular large B-cell lymphoma (IVLBCL). However, because IVLBCL is a very rare disease, its clinical features are not well defined, which may delay appropriate diagnosis and treatment, whilst the acute to subacute course of brain lesions in patients with IVLBCL is well established. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify the clinical features of spinal cord lesions in patients with IVLBCL. METHODS: The medical records of patients with IVLBCL admitted to our hospital between 2010 and 2020 were searched. The inclusion criteria were preceding neurological symptoms without non-neurological symptoms and pathologically confirmed IVLBCL in various organs. Clinical features of spinal cord involvement in patients with IVLBCL were assessed and distinguished from those of brain involvement. RESULTS: Sixteen consecutive patients with IVLBCL were divided into two groups: six patients with spinal involvement (spinal cord type) and 10 patients with brain involvement (brain type). In the spinal cord type, four patients had chronic progression and two had subacute progression. Acute progression (0% vs. 80.0%) and sudden onset (0% vs. 50.0%) occurred significantly less frequently in the spinal cord than in the brain. All spinal cord lesions involved the conus medullaris. CONCLUSIONS: Spinal cord involvement in IVLBCL has a predominantly chronic progressive course that is exclusive to brain involvement. Conus medullaris lesions are suggestive of IVLBCL and are useful for early and accurate diagnosis and treatment.

Primary degeneration of oculomotor, motor, and somatosensory systems and auditory and visual pathways in spinocerebellar ataxia type 7: A clinicopathological study in a Japanese autopsy case.

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 (SCA7) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive cerebellar ataxia associated with retinal degeneration. The disease is rare in Japan, and this is the first full description of clinicopathological findings in a Japanese autopsy case of genetically confirmed SCA7 having 49 cytosine-adenine-guanine (CAG) trinucleotide repeats in the ataxin 7 gene. A 34-year-old Japanese man with no family history of clinically apparent neurodegenerative diseases presented with gait disturbance, gradually followed by truncal instability with progressive visual loss by the age of 42 years. He became wheelchair-dependent by 51 years old, neurologically exhibiting cerebellar ataxia, slow eye movement, slurred and scanning speech, lower limb spasticity, hyperreflexia, action-related slowly torsional dystonic movements in the trunk and limbs, diminished vibratory sensation in the lower limbs, auditory impairment, and macular degeneration. Brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed atrophy of the brainstem and cerebellum. He died of pneumonia at age 60 with a 26-year clinical duration of disease. Postmortem neuropathological examination revealed pronounced atrophy of the spinal cord, brainstem, cerebellum, external globus pallidus (GP), and subthalamic nucleus, microscopically showing neuronal cell loss and fibrillary astrogliosis with polyglutamine-immunoreactive neuronal nuclei and/or neuronal nuclear inclusions (NNIs). Degeneration was also accentuated in the oculomotor system, auditory and visual pathways, upper and lower motor neurons, and somatosensory system, including the spinal dorsal root ganglia. There was a weak negative correlation between the frequency of nuclear polyglutamine-positive neurons and the extent of neuronal cell loss. Clinicopathological features in the present case suggest that neurological symptoms, such as oculomotor, auditory, visual, and sensory impairments, are attributable to degeneration in their respective projection systems affected by SCA7 pathomechanisms and that dystonic movement is related to more significant degeneration in the external than internal GP.

A novel deletion in the C-terminal region of HSPB8 in a family with rimmed vacuolar myopathy.

Heat shock protein family B member 8, encoded by HSPB8, is an essential component of the chaperone-assisted selective autophagy complex, which maintains muscle function by degrading damaged proteins in the cells. Mutations in HSPB8 have been reported to cause Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 2L, distal hereditary motor neuropathy IIa, and rimmed vacuolar myopathies (RVM). In this study, we identified a novel heterozygous frameshift variant c.525_529del in HSPB8 in a large Japanese family with RVM, using whole exome sequencing. Three affected individuals had severe respiratory failure, which has not been addressed by previous studies. Muscle atrophy in the paraspinal muscles was also a clinical feature of the individuals affected with RVM in this study. The frameshift mutation was located in the last coding exon, and the mutated protein was predicted to harbor an isoleucine-leucine-valine (ILV) sequence, which corresponds to the IXI/V (isoleucine, X amino acids, and isoleucine or valine) motif. The IXI/V motif is essential for assembly into larger oligomers in other small heat shock proteins and all frameshift mutants of HSPB8 were predicted to share the ILV sequence in the C-terminal extension. The in silico prediction tools showed low protein solubility and increased aggregation propensity for the region around the ILV sequence. The IXI/V motif might be associated with the pathogenesis of HSPB8-related RVM.

Genome-wide association study identifies a new susceptibility locus in PLA2G4C for Multiple System Atrophy.

To elucidate the molecular basis of multiple system atrophy (MSA), a neurodegenerative disease, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in a Japanese MSA case/control series followed by replication studies in Japanese, Korean, Chinese, European and North American samples. In the GWAS stage rs2303744 on chromosome 19 showed a suggestive association ( P = 6.5 × 10 -7 ) that was replicated in additional Japanese samples ( P = 2.9 × 10 -6 . OR = 1.58; 95% confidence interval, 1.30 to 1.91), and then confirmed as highly significant in a meta-analysis of East Asian population data ( P = 5.0 × 10 -15 . Odds ratio= 1.49; 95% CI 1.35 to 1.72). The association of rs2303744 with MSA remained significant in combined European/North American samples ( P =0.023. Odds ratio=1.14; 95% CI 1.02 to 1.28) despite allele frequencies being quite different between these populations. rs2303744 leads to an amino acid substitution in PLA2G4C that encodes the cPLA2γ lysophospholipase/transacylase. The cPLA2γ-Ile143 isoform encoded by the MSA risk allele has significantly decreased transacylase activity compared with the alternate cPLA2γ-Val143 isoform that may perturb membrane phospholipids and α-synuclein biology.

Association of HTRA1 mutations and familial ischemic cerebral small-vessel disease.

BACKGROUND: The genetic cause of cerebral autosomal recessive arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CARASIL), which is characterized by ischemic, nonhypertensive, cerebral small-vessel disease with associated alopecia and spondylosis, is unclear. METHODS: In five families with CARASIL, we carried out linkage analysis, fine mapping of the region implicated in the disease, and sequence analysis of a candidate gene. We also conducted functional analysis of wild-type and mutant gene products and measured the signaling by members of the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) family and gene and protein expression in the small arteries in the cerebrum of two patients with CARASIL. RESULTS: We found linkage of the disease to the 2.4-Mb region on chromosome 10q, which contains the HtrA serine protease 1 (HTRA1) gene. HTRA1 is a serine protease that represses signaling by TGF-beta family members. Sequence analysis revealed two nonsense mutations and two missense mutations in HTRA1. The missense mutations and one of the nonsense mutations resulted in protein products that had comparatively low levels of protease activity and did not repress signaling by the TGF-beta family. The other nonsense mutation resulted in the loss of HTRA1 protein by nonsense-mediated decay of messenger RNA. Immunohistochemical analysis of the cerebral small arteries in affected persons showed increased expression of the extra domain-A region of fibronectin and versican in the thickened tunica intima and of TGF-beta1 in the tunica media. CONCLUSIONS: CARASIL is associated with mutations in the HTRA1 gene. Our findings indicate a link between repressed inhibition of signaling by the TGF-beta family and ischemic cerebral small-vessel disease, alopecia, and spondylosis.

[A case of generalized dystonia DYT28 with a novel de novo mutation in the KMT2B gene].

The patient exhibited plantarflexion during walking at the age of five. He then developed writer's cramp at the age of six, dysphonia at 15 years, and action-induced dystonia with left knee elevation and trunk swinging when walking at 16 years, which subsequently spread to the right leg at 19 years. Levodopa therapy was ineffective for dystonia. Brain MRI showed no abnormalities. He was diagnosed with DYT28 after detecting a novel heterozygous mutation (c.433C>T, p.Arg145*) in the KMT2B gene using whole-exome sequencing at age 39. Furthermore, the patient's parents exhibited normal alleles, confirming the de novo status of KMT2B gene mutation. We should consider DYT28 in addition to DYT1 and DYT5 in patients who developed leg dystonia in childhood.

Neuroblastoma amplified sequence gene is associated with a novel short stature syndrome characterised by optic nerve atrophy and Pelger-Huët anomaly.

BACKGROUND: Hereditary short stature syndromes are clinically and genetically heterogeneous disorders and the cause have not been fully identified. Yakuts are a population isolated in Asia; they live in the far east of the Russian Federation and have a high prevalence of hereditary short stature syndrome including 3-M syndrome. A novel short stature syndrome in Yakuts is reported here, which is characterised by autosomal recessive inheritance, severe postnatal growth retardation, facial dysmorphism with senile face, small hands and feet, normal intelligence, Pelger-Huët anomaly of leucocytes, and optic atrophy with loss of visual acuity and colour vision. This new syndrome is designated as short stature with optic atrophy and Pelger-Huët anomaly (SOPH) syndrome. AIMS: To identify a causative gene for SOPH syndrome. METHODS: Genomewide homozygosity mapping was conducted in 33 patients in 30 families. RESULTS: The disease locus was mapped to the 1.1 Mb region on chromosome 2p24.3, including the neuroblastoma amplified sequence (NBAS) gene. Subsequently, 33 of 34 patients were identified with SOPH syndrome and had a 5741G/A nucleotide substitution (resulting in the amino acid substitution R1914H) in the NBAS gene in the homozygous state. None of the 203 normal Yakuts individuals had this substitution in the homozygous state. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that the NBAS protein is well expressed in retinal ganglion cells, epidermal skin cells, and leucocyte cytoplasm in controls as well as a patient with SOPH syndrome. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that function of NBAS may associate with the pathogenesis of short stature syndrome as well as optic atrophy and Pelger-Huët anomaly.

[A case of fasciitis localized in the calf muscles associated with Edwardsiella tarda sepsis].

A 49-year-old man presented with fever and pain, redness, swelling, and difficulty in walking. The serum C-reactive protein (CRP), creatin kinase (CK), and endotoxin levels were elevated. A blood culture revealed Edwardsiella tarda(E. tarda). Computed tomography (CT) showed subfascial and subcutaneous low-density areas in the lower legs, suggesting focal abscesses and edema. The patient was likely to have necrotizing fasciitis or cellulitis. He was successfully treated with several antibiotics and discharged after 43 days. Because E. tarda causes sepsis and fulminating necrotizing fasciitis with a high mortality rate in patients with an underlying illness, it should be considered a potentially important pathogen. The lack of an underlying illness may be a factor for a good outcome in this case.

A wide spectrum of clinical and brain MRI findings in patients with SLC19A3 mutations.

BACKGROUND: SLC19A3 (solute carrier family 19, member 3) is a thiamin transporter with 12 transmembrane domains. Homozygous or compound heterozygous mutations in SLC19A3 cause two distinct clinical phenotypes, biotin-responsive basal ganglia disease and Wernicke's-like encephalopathy. Biotin and/or thiamin are effective therapies for both diseases. METHODS: We conducted on the detailed clinical, brain MRI and molecular genetic analysis of four Japanese patients in a Japanese pedigree who presented with epileptic spasms in early infancy, severe psychomotor retardation, and characteristic brain MRI findings of progressive brain atrophy and bilateral thalami and basal ganglia lesions. RESULTS: Genome-wide linkage analysis revealed a disease locus at chromosome 2q35-37, which enabled identification of the causative mutation in the gene SLC19A3. A pathogenic homozygous mutation (c.958G > C, [p.E320Q]) in SLC19A3 was identified in all four patients and their parents were heterozygous for the mutation. Administration of a high dose of biotin for one year improved neither the neurological symptoms nor the brain MRI findings in one patient. CONCLUSION: Our cases broaden the phenotypic spectrum of disorders associated with SLC19A3 mutations and highlight the potential benefit of biotin and/or thiamin treatments and the need to assess the clinical efficacy of these treatments.

TRPM7 is not associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-parkinsonism dementia complex in the Kii peninsula of Japan.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-parkinsonism dementia complex (ALS/PDC) is a distinct neurodegenerative disorder characterized by ALS pathology with neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) in the spinal cord and brain. Recent clinical studies have revealed a high incidence and a high familial occurrence of ALS/PDC in both Guam and the Kii peninsula of Japan, suggesting a strong genetic predisposition to this disorder. The T1482I variant (rs8042919) of TRPM7 gene which is suggested to play roles in regulating the cellular homeostasis of Ca(2+), Mg(2+), and trace metals, has recently been reported to be associated with Guamanian patients with ALS/PDC. To investigate whether TRPM7 is associated with Kii ALS/PDC, we conducted parametric linkage analyses of the TRPM7 locus in a large extended family with ALS/PDC. Linkage analysis did not reveal any evidence supporting the linkage to the TRPM7 locus. Resequencing of the entire coding region of TRPM7 did not reveal any pathogenic mutations in an affected individual in this family. The allele frequencies of the T1482I in affected individuals in this family or in those from other families are not significantly different from those in regional controls or those in HapMap-JPT samples. These results indicate that TRPM7 is not associated with ALS/PDC in the Kii peninsula of Japan.

[A case of anti-SRY-Related HMG-Box Gene 1 (SOX1) antibody-positive chorea].

A 77-year-old man with a history of lung cancer at the age of 71 developed involuntary right leg movement for a month. Neurological examination revealed a right-sided hemi-chorea. Autoimmune disease was suspected owing to the presence of oligoclonal bands and the elevated IgG-index in the cerebrospinal fluid. We detected anti-SRY-Related HMG-Box Gene 1 (SOX1) antibodies, known to be serological markers of Lambert-Eaton syndrome with small cell lung cancer, but not tumors. The results of tests for antiphospholipid, anti-LGI1, and anti-CASPR2 antibodies associated with non-paraneoplastic autoimmune chorea were all negative. This is the first suggestive case of autoimmune chorea in which anti-SOX1 antibodies were detected.

Primary Position Upbeat Nystagmus with Low Serum Vitamin B12.

A 38-year-old man presented with primary position upbeat nystagmus accompanied by peripheral neuropathy. The serum vitamin B12 level was low along with high plasma homocysteine level, indicating vitamin B12 deficiency. Cyanocobalamin supplementation showed partial clinical and electrophysiological improvement. Although brain magnetic resonance imaging did not show any abnormal intensity lesions, the electrophysiological findings suggested that a pontomedullary medial lesion was responsible for the upbeat nystagmus. To our knowledge, this is the first case of upbeat nystagmus with low serum vitamin B12. Physicians need to recognize the possibility of vitamin B12 deficiency as a cause of upbeat nystagmus.

Endoscopic Management for Recurrent Hydrocephalus Associated with Neurosarcoidosis.

BACKGROUND: Recurrent hydrocephalus may occur as a complication of neurosarcoidosis with chronic inflammation. We present a case that required a combination of multistage endoscopic diversion of the cerebrospinal fluid pathway and shunt surgery. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 34-year-old man presented with progressive nausea and vomiting. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed hydrocephalus with leptomeningeal enhancement along the base of the fourth ventricle and the bilateral foramina of Luschka. Concurrent endoscopic third ventriculostomy and biopsy were performed. The diagnosis was neurosarcoidosis. Immediately after the procedure, the endoscopic third ventriculostomy stoma was occluded, and a right ventriculoperitoneal shunt was urgently performed. However, left unilateral hydrocephalus developed during the late phase of immunosuppressive therapy for neurosarcoidosis. Endoscopic septostomy with repositioning of the ventricular catheter was indicated. Intraoperative findings included a white pasty tissue with nodules that covered the ventricular wall close to the foramen of Monro and sealed the side holes of the catheter. Chemotherapy with a tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitor was initiated after the surgical procedure. The patient had an uneventful course without recurrence of hydrocephalus for >6 months. CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic diversion of the cerebrospinal fluid pathway should be actively considered for treating hydrocephalus without a shunt and performing biopsy simultaneously. Even if a subsequent shunt is needed, complex hydrocephalus can be avoided with a combination of endoscopic techniques.

Generation of an ALS human iPSC line KEIOi001-A from peripheral blood of a Charcot disease-affected patient carrying TARDBP p.N345K heterozygous SNP mutation.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is the most common motor neuron degenerative disease in adults, and TARDBP gene mutations have been reported to be involved in the pathogenesis. We present here how we generated the human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) line KEIOi001-A/SM4-4-5 from the peripheral blood of a 63-year-old male patient presenting the c.1035C > G heterozygous SNP mutation in the TARDBP gene locus. The established hiPSC line does not express the exogenous reprogramming factors oriP nor EBNA1 and shows no karyotypic abnormalities, while it expresses pluripotent stem cell markers, presents the SNP mutation and is capable of three-germ layers differentiation in vitro.

[A case of Japanese Laing type distal myopathy with a mutation in MYH7 gene].

A 67-year-old man developed weakness and atrophy of the anterior compartment of the lower leg at age 53 years, followed by weakness of proximal muscles of the upper limb. His father had difficulties in walking in his thirties and died of heart disease at age 45 years. He also had mild respiratory weakness without cardiac involvement. Muscle histology showed spheroid or cytoplasmic bodies-like inclusions with moth-eaten appearance and irregular intramyofibrillar network. Electron microscopy revealed abnormally thickened and disorganized Z lines (Z line streaming) between the surrounding myofibrils and electron-dense globular deposits. These pathological findings apparently suggested myofibrillar myopathy. However, genetic analysis revealed a mutation (c.5566G>A, p.E1856K) in MYH7 gene, that is responsible for Laing-type distal myopathy (LDM). This mutation was previously reported in a study from Austria. This is the first report of LDM in the Japanese population .

[Reversible Cerebral Vasoconstriction Syndrome (RCVS) Induced by a Chinese Herbal Medicine; Tokishigyakukagoshuyushokyoto].

A 52-year-old woman taking a Chinese herbal medicine for 10 months was admitted to our hospital for recurrent severe headaches, nausea and vomiting. Brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed convexity subarachnoid hemorrhage in the left occipital and parietal lobes. Brain magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) showed multifocal segmental stenosis of cerebral arteries. Clinical symptoms resolved after treatments with nicardipine and verapamil. Follow-up MRA at 31 days after the onset showed complete disappearance of multifocal stenosis of cerebral arteries, confirming the diagnosis of reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS). It was suggested that licorice and evodia fruit, which were components of a Chinese herbal medicine named tokishigyakukagoshuyushokyoto were the precipitating factors of vasoconstriction. It is important for physicians to recognize that herbal supplements could be one of the causes of RCVS. (Received January 22, 2019; Accepted April 3, 2019; Published July 1, 2019).

Novel locus for benign hereditary chorea with adult onset maps to chromosome 8q21.3 q23.3.

Autosomal dominant choreas are genetically heterogeneous disorders including Huntington disease (HD), Huntington disease like 1 (HDL1), Huntington disease like 2 (HDL2), dentatorubro-pallidoluysian atrophy (DRPLA), spinocerebellar ataxia type 17 (SCA17) and benign hereditary chorea (BHC). We identified two Japanese families with adult-onset benign chorea without dementia inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern. All affected individuals presented slowly progressive choreic movements in their upper and lower extremities, trunk and head with an age of onset ranging from 40 to 66 (average 54.3), which were markedly improved by haloperidol. The affected individuals also developed reduced muscle tones in their extremities. The findings obtained in the brain CT or MRI studies of nine affected individuals were normal. These clinical features resemble those of the so-called 'senile chorea'. HD, HDL1, HDL2, DRPLA, SCA17 and BHC caused by mutations in the TITF-1 gene were excluded by mutational and linkage analyses. A genome-wide linkage analysis revealed linkage to chromosome 8q21.3-q23.3 with a maximum cumulative two-point log of the odds (LOD) score of 4.74 at D8S1784 (theta = 0.00). Haplotype analysis of both the families defined the candidate region as 21.5 Mb interval flanked by M9267 and D8S1139. We named this adult-onset dominant inherited chorea 'benign hereditary chorea type 2 (BHC2)'.

Multiplex families with multiple system atrophy.

BACKGROUND: Multiple system atrophy (MSA) has been considered a sporadic disease, without patterns of inheritance. OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical features of 4 multiplex families with MSA, including clinical genetic aspects. DESIGN: Clinical and genetic study. SETTING: Four departments of neurology in Japan. Patients Eight patients in 4 families with parkinsonism, cerebellar ataxia, and autonomic failure with age at onset ranging from 58 to 72 years. Two siblings in each family were affected with these conditions. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Clinical evaluation was performed according to criteria by Gilman et al. Trinucleotide repeat expansion in the responsible genes for the spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) series and for dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy (DRPLA) was evaluated by polymerase chain reaction. Direct sequence analysis of coding regions in the alpha-synuclein gene was performed. RESULTS: Consanguineous marriage was observed in 1 of 4 families. Among 8 patients, 1 had definite MSA, 5 had probable MSA, and 2 had possible MSA. The most frequent phenotype was MSA with predominant parkinsonism, observed in 5 patients. Six patients showed pontine atrophy with cross sign or slitlike signal change at the posterolateral putaminal margin or both on brain magnetic resonance imaging. Possibilities of hereditary ataxias, including SCA1 (ataxin 1, ATXN1), SCA2 (ATXN2), Machado-Joseph disease/SCA3 (ATXN1), SCA6 (ATXN1), SCA7 (ATXN7), SCA12 (protein phosphatase 2, regulatory subunit B, beta isoform; PP2R2B), SCA17 (TATA box binding protein, TBP) and DRPLA (atrophin 1; ATN1), were excluded, and no mutations in the alpha-synuclein gene were found. CONCLUSIONS: Findings in these multiplex families suggest the presence of familial MSA with autosomal recessive inheritance and a genetic predisposition to MSA. Molecular genetic approaches focusing on familial MSA are expected to provide clues to the pathogenesis of MSA.

[Molecular genetic analysis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/parkinsonism-dementia complex (ALS/PDC) in the Kii peninsula].

Recent clinical research have revealed that more than 70% of the patients with ALS/PDC, which is highly prevalent in Hohara area in the Kii peninsula, have family history. 80% of Guamanian patients, who have identical pathological findings to those of ALS/PDC in Kii, are also known to have family history with non-Mendelian trait. These facts suggest strong genetic predisposition to ALS/PDC in both Kii and Guam. However, no genes associated with ALS/PDC have been identified by molecular genetic studies using candidate gene approach. To identify the causative or susceptibility genes for ALS/PDC, we have conducted a genomewide linkage analysis for five families with ALS/PDC in Hohara. The fact that affected individuals were ascertained in successive generations suggest an autosomal dominant (AD) inheritance, while the presence of consanguinity suggests an autosomal recessive (AR) inheritance. Although we can raise possibilities of AD model with incomplete penetrance or AR model with high gene frequency (pseudo-dominant model), the mode of inheritance of ALS/PDC families is complicated and controversial. Therefore, we are also conducting model-free (non-parametric) linkage analysis to identify the disease locus without setting mode of inheritance. More family members and detailed clinical evaluations are required to obtain the convincing evidence of linkage.